


To Fall in Hard Feelings

by Corinne_Nohrule



Category: Food Fantasy (Video Game)
Genre: Chocolate/Coffee is a bit lowkey tho, Eventual Happy Ending, Fluff and Angst, Insecurity, M/M, Pining, Romance, Warning: Might be OOC, Wish me luck, my first fic for this site is for this pairing, since Napoleon Cake/Pastel de Nata is the focus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-03
Updated: 2018-11-03
Packaged: 2019-08-17 01:31:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,182
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16506701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Corinne_Nohrule/pseuds/Corinne_Nohrule
Summary: When Pastel de Nata receives a massive amount of love letters in the course of a few days (which admittedly make him flustered in spite of his stoic attitude), he seeks help from a few Food Souls in finding out who is behind the letters, including Napoleon Cake.Meanwhile, Napoleon Cake has a bit of a struggle in regards with his own feelings.





	1. Written Confessions

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is my first fic (and a chaptered one at that) for Ao3. It's also my first for Food Fantasy. That being said, enjoy.

Letters kept coming.

Letters, specifically addressed to a Food Soul named Pastel de Nata, kept coming.

And it was nonstop.

He didn't know what to do with the recent influx of messages. They were persistent, and though they had different words in each one, Pastel de Nata could derive the central message those letters held:

_"I'm in love with you, yet I can't tell you who I am."_

In a way, it was frustrating for the young man; whoever this person was obviously chose to keep his identity secret. The mystery of who had a crush on Pastel was definitely something the man wanted to find out. So he did what he always did when there was a love issue.

He went to the resident romance expert, Chocolate.

 

_-Later-_

"Excuse me, who?" Chocolate asked, a bit bewildered (and ecstatic) that Pastel de Nata got an admirer.

"This...secret admirer of mine is being elusive, Chocolate." Pastel replied, raising his voice slightly on the words 'secret admirer'.

"Well, that's exactly it, my friend!" Chocolate laughed. "Them being elusive just gives more of a challenge for you to figure them out."

"And what's with the usage of 'them', Chocolate?" Pastel asked, eyebrow raised.

"You may never know if it's a boy or a girl." the dark-skinned man chuckled, and took a sniff of his rose before turning to Pastel once again. "Regardless, the thing that matters is that they're in love with you. It's nice to have an admirer, isn't it?"

The brunette had to admit; Chocolate did have a bit of a point there.

"You...could say that." Pastel answered tersely, a slight pink dusting his cheeks. "No one, let alone an anonymous person, has ever expressed interest in me before."

"Then consider yourself lucky, Nata." Chocolate laughed lightheartedly, standing up from his chair, and giving a pat to Pastel's back. "I can't say for sure who is your admirer, but I wish you the best of luck."

Chocolate soon left the cafe table, leaving Pastel de Nata alone with his thoughts.

 

_-In the Restaurant-_

Soon after, Pastel de Nata got back, making his way to the kitchen, where he found a certain scarlet-eyed Food Soul hoarding a few sweets. The brunette sighed.

"Stealing sweets again, Napoleon?" Pastel asked, deadpanned.

The curly-haired brunette smiled nervously. "I need to satisfy the sugar rush! You know how that affects me, right?"

Pastel de Nata sighed, crossing his arms and tilting his head up as he did so. As much as he was cordial with the Food Soul known as Napoleon Cake, sometimes traits like his sugar cravings annoyed Pastel, even if the shorter Soul looked giddy (and admittedly endearing) when his cravings were satisfied. Napoleon Cake got his sweets anyway, gorging on a few candy bits in the process. The Portugese man looked on, until he remembered those secret admirer letters. Jumping on the opportunity, Pastel speaks out the question:

"I need your help."

Napoleon stops eating his sweets for a moment. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me; I need your help." Pastel de Nata repeated, pulling out the secret admirer letters from his pocket. "There is this...person, who is sending me love notes."

For a moment, Nata thought that he saw Napoleon freeze in his expression, briefly. Though, Napoleon didn't seem to be bothered a split second later.

"Carry on."

Nata continued. "Yes, this person, whoever he or she is, is sending me these letters, and I have no clue who they are."

"Well, that's the point of a secret admirer; it's secret!"

The long-haired brunette sighed, rubbing his eyebrows in frustration, partially flustered. "Well, I don't like it if there are secrets."

Nata handed over the letters and shook them in Napoleon's face.

"Especially if they concern me."

The scarlet-eyed youth could only stare at the papers of written words, saying nothing. Nata noticed this silence.

"You really don't know who wrote them?"

Hearing the question, Napoleon snapped out of his reverie. "N-Nope! Not at all!" A stutter.

Pastel heard the stutter, a bit unsure whether Napoleon was telling the truth. "You sure?"

"Yep! In fact, maybe you should ask Chocolate about this."

"I already did."

"Oh. Or maybe...someone apart from Chocolate...like, Coffee! He also knows the matters of the heart, and maybe those who struggle with such."

Pastel de Nata was pondering on whether he should do so. While thinking about it, he failed to notice the shorter man look away, almost downcast in his gaze. Napoleon looked downward for a while, then Pastel's voice once again snapped him out of his reverie.

"...leon? Napoleon!"

"Huh? What?" Napoleon snapped his head up to look at the other.

"I said I'll take on your suggestion on asking Coffee for help." Pastel clarified, making his leave. "Oh, and please don't eat too much of the sweets."

"O-Okay!" Napoleon replied. Another stutter. At this point, when he thought Pastel was out of sight, Napoleon didn't even bother to bring the sweets with him anymore, instead going straight to his room. The long-haired brunette didn't fail to notice that strange behavior.

 _"Is he alright?"_  Pastel thought to himself as he walked outside of the kitchen.

It didn't take him long to find Coffee; the latter was at the counter, cleaning up for the day. Upon noticing Pastel de Nata, Coffee gave a curt nod.

"Nata, you need anything? Because from the looks of it, you were so eager to find me."

Pastel nodded. "You're right on that, Coffee, because I need to know something."

"And what would that be?"

Pastel pulled out the love letters. "Do you have any idea on who wrote these?"

Coffee took one of the letters, and examined its handwriting. Even if he only saw the handwriting a few times before, it was unmistakable in regards to who wrote them.

"Nata, I think I have your answer."

 

_-Meanwhile With Napoleon-_

Napoleon Cake felt shameful.

He buried his face in the pillows of his bed, sulking to himself about what he had put himself into.

"I knew it was a bad idea to write those senseless notes..."

Napoleon looked at a paper on his bedside, picked it up and unfolded it, revealing an unfinished note addressed to none other than Pastel de Nata.

"From his reaction, I know that he'll detest me even more when he finds out..."

A tear fell on the paper.

"...that I've fallen for him." 


	2. Unspoken Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Napoleon's struggles with his feelings are much deeper than what was initially thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is Chapter 2! I hope you enjoy reading this, in spite of the upcoming angst that will be there.

Coffee said that he knew who wrote the love letters, and so Pastel de Nata leaned forward to listen to the answer clearly.

"Now, Nata, this is just a tiny theory, but the answer to your question will either shock you, or just make you fall in love with them even more."

Nata huffed. "Just tell me, alright? This has been going on for the past two weeks, and I still haven't found out who wrote them."

Coffee knew what he said was a white lie. It wasn't a tiny theory, since it in question was in fact the truth. Two weeks prior to this, Coffee spotted Napoleon Cake suddenly getting a lot of writing material into his room, then a while later, coming out with an envelope to place on the kitchen countertop, where Nata would do his tart baking. This pattern continued, and Coffee, being curious, decided to see Napoleon for answers.

 

_-A Week Prior-_

_Coffee knocked on Napoleon's door._

_"Napoleon? Are you still there?"_

_"...Yes."_

_"Want me to come in?"_

_Silence again, followed by a sound of things rummaging, almost sounding like the Food Soul was trying to hide something. Then a response was uttered._

_"...S-Sure. Help yourself."_

_Soon the door opened, and behind it was Napoleon alright, but he looked...distressed. It didn't seem like so from afar, but upon closer inspection, the brunette's ruby eyes had turned almost completely red, and thin tracks of water were evident in his cheeks._

_"Goodness, Napoleon..." Coffee uttered in concern. "Are you alright?"_

_The smaller Food Soul sniffed. "...Could I really say I am?" He was about to cry again._

_Coffee promptly entered the room, and once he closed the door, he promptly gave Napoleon a comforting embrace. This action made the latter freeze, before he broke down in tears. Whimpers and wails of emotional pain were wrought out, and the taller Food Soul did his best to soothe those cries with comforting words and head rubs._

_Coffee had never seen Napoleon so...vulnerable; granted, he knew that there were sides of a person such as this that were left hidden to most people. Coffee knew since he experienced a similar encounter with his own lover, Chocolate, when the latter opened up about how the death of his previous Master Attendant still affected him._

_The tears still went on, and after a few moments, Coffee finally spoke up._

_"Tell me, Napoleon, whatever is it that is troubling you?"_

_Napoleon remained silent, but then uttered. "...I feel like a fool."_

_"Now why would you say that?" Coffee responded, bewildered by this side of the usually-jovial and self-confident Food Soul. "Please, tell me the truth."_

_The smaller man wiped his eyes. "Why would I write these letters...when I know he won't love me back?"_

_Coffee's head snapped up upon hearing the response, and looked at Napoleon's bedside table to see a lone paper and pen. It looked like an unfinished letter._

_"You mentioned 'he'. Who is this man that has put your heart in pain?"_

_The reply was in a whisper, but Coffee was sure he heard the name._

_"...Nata..."_

_Coffee's eyebrows rose a bit upon hearing it. "Pastel de Nata?"_

_Napoleon weakly nodded._

_At that moment, Coffee understood what was going on. "So it's a matter of pining for his affections that's keeping you in angst, isn't it?"_

_A nod._

_Coffee returned to giving headrubs to Napoleon as comfort. "It's sweet for you to finally find love, but your bitter fear of rejection is holding you back, right?"_

_Another nod._

_Coffee sighed. This feeling of pain from the fear of rejection was all too familiar. He remembered this when he himself felt the bitterness of possibly having his feelings turned down by Chocolate. Luckily, he was proven wrong._

_The taller Food Soul pulled away from the embrace, and looked at Napoleon straight in the eyes._

_"If you're not telling him the truth, I will tell him."_

_Napoleon's eyes widened and he shook his head. "No! Anything but that! He doesn't deserve to be burdened with someone like me...It's better for me to silently suffer."_

_Coffee felt a twinge of sadness. Was Napoleon really that insecure when it came to his feelings for Nata?_

_"Napoleon...he will find out at some point. This secret love letter writing will not be secret for long. Even if I were to tell him the truth, in the end, he has to hear it from you. How you really feel. Okay?"_

_A weak nod was the reply. "Okay."_

 

_-Back to the Present-_

Coffee just finished telling him the truth about who wrote the love notes. Understandably, it left Pastel de Nata shocked, and surprisingly, blushing a bright pink.

"So Napoleon...really does have feelings for me."

Coffee nodded as verification. "The amount of love written here can't compare to how much he really feels about you, Nata." Sipping his beverage, Coffee added, "Judging from how many letters he's written, Napoleon has been pining for you for a long time."

Nata's blush did not die down; if there was a reason for him to confront his own feelings for the scarlet-eyed Food Soul, there is now.

"But answer me this first, Nata," Coffee began, putting down his cup. "Even before these love letters were given, have you felt something for Napoleon?"

Pastel de Nata pondered on that question, thinking about the times he and Napoleon spent together. Sure, the scarlet-eyed man was a bit annoying with his sugar cravings, and his self-confidence would make him look obnoxious at times. However, those two things were also some of the many traits that made Napoleon still endearing; how he carried himself in battle with his confidence in his skills, and how cute he looked when he was covered with crumbs from some of the sweets he ate. Then, there was Napoleon's smile when he felt at peace, his kindness when he helped citizens, and his loyalty to their Master Attendant. All of these were reasons for Pastel de Nata to remain by Napoleon's side, and later fall for Napoleon himself.

It made the usually stoic Food Soul form a slight smile when he responded:

"I did, and I still do now."

Coffee's lips turned upward. "Then go to him. Tell him that you know about his letters, and say that you do return his feelings." He looked to the side, and his expression changed to that of sympathy. "You have no idea how much Napoleon cried because he couldn't tell you out of that fear of being rejected. Just please tell him."

Pastel de Nata nodded. "I will. Thank you, Coffee."

"Anytime."

Nata soon made his way to the hall upstairs, where the bedrooms were. While he made his walk, he thought back to what Coffee said earlier.

_You have no idea how much Napoleon cried because he couldn't tell you out of that fear of being rejected._

"Seems like Coffee knows more than he lets on." Nata whispered to himself, then he finally stopped in front of Napoleon's bedroom door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> End Chapter 2! So the final chapter will be released in due time, and with that I promise it will be a happy ending.


	3. Resolved Feelings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A resolution has been made.

Napoleon was ready to give up.

It may be uncharacteristic for him to do so, but what other choice did he have if the man he loved was going to turn him down anyway? He had to steel himself and accept his fate of suffering unrequited love. He knew that Coffee would tell Nata that letters were written by him, and that the latter will come to Napoleon, confront him and say no. The thought of it even happening brought tears to his eyes once again.

"How many times will I cry for him, when I know he will never love me at all?" Napoleon said bitterly to himself. "All I am is just an inconvenience to him, right? I don't deserve to be loved by him...all I deserve is to suffer silently."

Hugging himself, he let out a bitter wail. At this point, Napoleon didn't care who heard his grief; he just wanted to let out the sadness that consumed him for so long. It was eating at him inside, and all he wanted was for it to be over, even if it could be over by being rejected.

From behind the bedroom door, Pastel de Nata's eyes widened when he heard what Napoleon had said.

_"Did you really feel sad for that long?"_ he thought, almost blaming himself for Napoleon's current emotional state.

He knew what needed to be done. Nata opened the door to Napoleon's bedroom, made his way inside, closed it, and went straight for Napoleon, who still cried and wailed in agony, unaware of the other presence in his room. With a bout of courage, Nata moved forward and embraced the other from behind, wrapping his arms firmly around the smaller Food Soul.

"Let this be the last time, Napoleon," Nata began, whispering in Napoleon's ear. "That you will ever cry because of me. I'm sorry for being the cause of your pain."

Napoleon gasped lightly from the hug, and was further shocked by who was giving him said hug.

"N-Nata..."

Pastel de Nata leaned his head on the other's shoulder, and held tighter.

"You are not an inconvenience, not now, or ever. Don't ever say that to yourself again."

Napoleon nodded once. Seeing this as a good sign, Nata continued.

"You deserve to be loved, no matter what. Even if you have some traits that are insufferable at times, it doesn't make you less loved."

A nod again.

"But most of all..."

Nata let go of the embrace, only to turn Napoleon around to face him.

"Never say that I won't ever love you at all."

Napoleon's scarlet eyes widened. He hoped he wasn't dreaming this. "You mean..."

"Yes."

Pastel de Nata wrapped one arm around Napoleon's waist and his other arm let its hand rest on Napoleon's cheek, still wet with tears. The former's eyes were filled with passion as he finally said those simple words.

"I love you, Napoleon."

Nata leaned in, eyes slowly closing shut, and he kissed Napoleon softly on the lips. Napoleon was finally sure that this wasn't a dream; it was all real. The feeling of Nata's lips against his own was warm, and electrifying. It was all he could ever hope for to happen.

Wrapping his arms around Nata's neck, Napoleon closed his eyes and returned the kiss, making sure to return the fervor amidst the tears. Feeling the wetness against his hand, Nata wiped away the drops that fell out of his now-lover's eyes. They remained in a lip-lock for a while, their embrace slowly turning more passionate as the last of Napoleon's sadness was swept away by Nata's love.

The two pulled away soon after, panting lightly from the first kiss they just shared. Afterwards, they embraced each other, Napoleon resting his head on his lover's chest, sighing in contentment. Nata rested a hand on the other's hair, not covered by his hat for once, and weaved his fingers through the wavy locks.

"This was all that I could ever hope for, Nata." Napoleon said, smiling for the first time as the last of his tears dropped from his eyes. "After so long, I'm so glad that it wasn't all for nothing."

Nata hummed in agreement, kissing Napoleon's hair. It was tranquil for a moment. Nothing seemed to interrupt their solitude, so Nata spoke up.

"Leon?"

"Hmm?" Napoleon responded, blushing lightly at the new nickname.

"Promise me one thing?"

"Anything."

"Never tell yourself that you're not worth anything to me, or that you deserve to suffer in silence." Nata said firmly, pulling away for a bit to look at his lover. "You are worth something in my heart, and the last thing I want is to hurt you and let you suffer." He kissed Napoleon's forehead.

"Promise me, please?"

It was silent, then Napoleon rested his head again on Nata's chest as his way of saying, "I promise."

It was all worth it in the end, with both finally together, it's just going to get better from here on out. With that, Nata pulled Napoleon with him to lay down on the bed, engulfed in nothing but in each other's embrace. They shared another kiss, a softer one this time, and once they pulled away, rested their foreheads against each other's.

"Je t'aime, Nata."

"I love you too, Leon. Always."

Soon the two finally fell asleep, and in their dreams, they dreamed that they would share more embraces and kisses in life as their lives went on. That dream will come true, both of them think to themselves, as they made a silent vow to face life's happiness and sorrow together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the final chapter has been made! I hope you enjoyed this short (and admittedly quick) story.  
> Feel free to give some feedback.


End file.
